Microscopy system and method

Abstract

A microscopy system method for inspecting a retina of an eye including generating an inverted intermediate image of the retina using an opthalmoscopic lens; detecting a left image of the intermediate image from a left viewing direction and detecting a right image of the intermediate image from a right viewing direction; and displaying an inverted representation of the detected left image to a right eye of a user and displaying an inverted representation of the detected right image to a left eye of the user.

The invention claimed is:  
     
       1. A microscopy method comprising:
 operating a microscope in a first mode using an ophthalmoscopic lens disposed in a beam path between a first object and the microscope, the first mode comprising: 
 generating an inverted intermediate image of the first object with the ophthalmoscopic lens, 
 imaging the intermediate image onto a left image detector with a left beam portion of an imaging beam of the microscope and imaging the intermediate image onto a right image detector with a right beam portion of the imaging beam, and 
 supplying an image detected by the left image detector and an image detected by the right image detector through first paths of switches to electronic image inverters for inversion; 
 displaying an inverted representation of the image detected by the left image detector on a right display, and displaying an inverted representation of the image detected by the right image detector on a left display; 
 switching from the first mode to a second mode by both removing the ophthalmoscopic lens from the beam path without requiring movement of other optical components into or out of the beam path and switching the switches from the first paths to second paths thereby bypassing the electronic image inverters; and 
 operating the microscope in the second mode without using the ophthalmoscopic lens, the second mode comprising: 
 imaging a second object onto the left image detector with the left beam portion and imaging the second object onto the right image detector with the right beam portion, and 
 displaying a representation of an image detected by the left image detector on the left display, and displaying a representation of an image detected by the right image detector on the right display. 
 
     
     
       2. The microscopy method according to  claim 1 , wherein the left and right displays are included in a head mounted display. 
     
     
       3. The microscopy method according to  claim 1 , wherein the right display and the left display are the same in both the first mode and the second mode. 
     
     
       4. The microscopy method according to  claim 3 , wherein the right display and the left display are not moved when switching from the first mode to the second mode. 
     
     
       5. The microscopy method according to  claim 4 , wherein the right display and the left display maintain a same position relative to a user in both the first mode and the second mode. 
     
     
       6. The microscopy method according to  claim 5 , wherein the left and right displays are included in a head mounted display. 
     
     
       7. A microscopy method for inspecting a retina of an eye, the method comprising:
 generating, in a first mode of inspection, an inverted intermediate image of the retina; the first mode of inspection further comprising: 
 detecting a left image of the intermediate image from a left viewing direction, and detecting a right image of the intermediate image from a right viewing direction; 
 supplying the detected left image of the intermediate image and the detected right image of the intermediate image through first paths of switches to electronic image inverters thereby inverting the detected left image of the intermediate image and the detected right image of the intermediate image; and 
 displaying a representation of the inverted left image of the intermediate image to a right eye of a user, and displaying a representation of the inverted right image of the intermediate image to a left eye of the user; and 
 switching from the first mode of inspection and operating in a second mode of inspection in which the inverted intermediate image is temporarily not generated, the second mode of inspection further comprising: 
 detecting a left image of the object from a left viewing direction and detecting a right image of the object from a right viewing direction, while the inverted intermediate image is not generated; and 
 displaying a non-inverted representation of the detected left image to the left eye of the user and displaying a non-inverted representation of the detected right image to the right eye of the user, 
 wherein, in the first mode of inspection, the intermediate image of the retina is generated by placing an ophthalmoscopic lens between the retina and the user, and wherein the switching from the first mode of inspection and operating in the second mode of inspection comprises both removing the ophthalmoscopic lens from between the retina and the user without requiring movement of other optical components into or out of the beam path and switching the switches from the first paths to second paths thereby bypassing the electronic image inverters. 
 
     
     
       8. The microscopy method according to  claim 7 , wherein the displaying of the representation of the inverted left image of the intermediate image to the right eye of the user is through a right display, and wherein the displaying of the representation of the inverted right image of the intermediate image to the left eye of the user is through a left display. 
     
     
       9. The microscopy method according to  claim 8 , wherein the displaying of the non-inverted representation of the detected left image to the left eye of the user is through the left display, and wherein the displaying of the non-inverted representation of the detected right image to the right eye of the user is through the right display. 
     
     
       10. The microscopy method according to  claim 9 , wherein the right display and the left display are the same in both the first mode of inspection and the second mode of inspection. 
     
     
       11. The microscopy method according to  claim 10 , wherein the right display and the left display are not moved when switching from the first mode of inspection and operating in the second mode of inspection. 
     
     
       12. The microscopy method according to  claim 11 , wherein the right display and the left display maintain a same position relative to the user in both the first mode of inspection and the second mode of inspection. 
     
     
       13. The microscopy method according to  claim 12 , wherein the right display and the left display are included in a head mounted display.